Turn Conversations into Timeless Memories with Tart
Adobe Edge Awards 2023 Finalist
Hats Worn
UX Researcher • Product Strategist • Data Visualization • Prototyping • Visual & Interaction Designer
Collaborators
Honey Mehta, Laura Li
Mentor: Blake Hudelson
Platform
Mobile Application
Timeline
4 months | Aug 2022 - Dec 2022
Context
In today's digital age, many people are finding it increasingly difficult to disconnect from their devices and fully engage in meaningful interactions with their loved ones.
The constant need for validation and attention through social media can make it difficult to be fully present in the moment. People are becoming more and more obsessed with capturing the perfect photo and less concerned with actually experiencing the moment.
So we asked ourselves -
In a world where everyone is rushing to capture every fleeting moment and focusing on the picture perfect, can we bring back “living” in the moments?
We had an epiphany!
Picture this: you're sitting with your friends, chatting and laughing. You're all different, with unique styles and personalities. Now imagine turning those conversations into surreal art - with your own personal touch.
*Enters* Tart - An app that senses the energy and vibe from a conversation, and converts them into a piece of art.
Explore themes
Choose from hundreds of themes, created by our talented “Tartists” and make your stories truly yours.
Create a piece of art - aka a Chapter
The app detects your energy, and creates a “Chapter” that will leave you mesmerized.
Turn back in time with a yearly wrap!
Dive deeper into your most memorable chapters throughout the year.
Let’s peel back the layers of Tart
Discovering the research techniques that shaped the experience
Listening to People
In order to understand what we gain and what we miss out on when we take photos, we interviewed a few people around us. Our aim was to understand what they experience and what they remember from meetups or gatherings.
Their responses were funny, heartfelt and so relatable.
Key Archetypes
We imagined two key archetypes for this project based on our interview responses
“The Wallflower” • Recharges from alone time / Catching up with friends / maintaining the connection * awkward with photos * conscious about their appearance / Introvert
“The Party Animal” • Maintaining new and old friendships / High social battery / trying new things * let loose and have fun * social butterfly / Extrovert
Key Insights
By reflecting on the primary and secondary research, we narrowed down on the following insights
Going beyond photos
Chasing memories rather than filters and selfies can create experiences that are meaningful and personal to the user.
Experiencing more than capturing
Facilitate mindful engagement through features encouraging users to slow down and appreciate their surroundings.
Immersive memories
Storytelling through memories could be powerful in enhancing the feeling of nostalgia.
Customer journey informed by insights
We visualized our product journey and identified pain points, opportunities for delight, and areas for improvement.
Mapping the experience guided by the journey
The journey map guided us to build a meaningful product experience flow that shaped the features of Tart
From early UI explorations to final designs
Building the in-app experience
User Job: Selecting Themes
When I begin to create my art, I want to select themes based on categories such as style, artists, atmosphere so I can generate the art based on the aesthetic that I like.
User Job: Start Building a Chapter
As a user who cherishes quality time with loved ones, I want to start creating my art and savor the process, to produce a captivating artwork that captures the delight of our shared moments.
User Job: Yearly Lookback
As a user, I want a comprehensive statistical summary of my year-end events, to reflect on my happy moments with loved ones.
Capturing the essence of the brand
After a few too many failed attempts at defining the brand, we finally built the face of tart.
Bringing it all together with branding
At the heart of our app's brand is a set of three core values that we hold dear: connection, celebration, and nostalgia, which we've captured through bold colors, imagery, and a touch of surrealism and retro flair to induce a feeling of warmth and familiarity.
Morphing into art
A group of people
Sharing thoughts
Keeping Ethics at the forefront
Memories used correctly
We want to make sure that the app is used responsibly and respectfully, especially in sensitive or emotional situations.
User data, user control
The app should have transparent data management policies and procedures to ensure that user data is handled appropriately and users have full control of it.
Personal privacy
It is important to ensure that personal information and potentially sensitive audio recordings is securely stored and protected from unauthorized access or misuse.
Cultural sensitivity
The app's algorithms should be culturally sensitive and avoid biases that may discriminate against certain groups or individuals or perpetuate stereotypes.
The joys of a visual journey
The ups and downs: A Path of Endless Learning and Refinement
What began as an abstract and formless idea has blossomed into something concrete and one-of-a-kind.
It's been an exciting challenge to imagine how we can reshape people's understanding of memories, the interpretive nature of art has allowed us to construct fresh narratives and convey them to others in novel and compelling ways.
We knew that good communication, quick feedback, and constant improvements were key to making our app development project a success. By working closely with each other and getting input from our peers and mentors and pivoting quickly, we were able to make sure that the app was intuitive, user friendly and pixel perfect.
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